arudlang
Member
It was a horrifying wreck, to be sure, but I'm sorry to say I'm just not convinced the presence of a few more CB radios would have made any difference before, during, or after.
We can assume that ballpark 75% of those 39 commercial vehicles had CB radios on-board, they didn't seem to be able to warn each other as rig after rig just kept barreling in there. They apparently were not sharing road condition information before the first metal made contact, which is what would have really been required for CB to make any difference in the death and expense toll. Communications would have needed to be somewhat already going before the first vehicle hit the second. Once it started you'd think at least one stopped rig would be intact enough to call out to any others listening, or maybe one that made it past the first couple cars unscathed traveling in the opposite lanes. Either they didn't think to do that or nobody was listening, or both.
I think that was the real shortcoming that made it so bad/involved so many vehicles, you can see in the video, there is no mentality of anybody trying to mitigate the ongoing event. You need that mentality from someone involved before any piece of equipment like a radio even matters.
Rather than standing there taking pictures and recording clips for a few seconds of fame, a better use of what ended up being the last few seconds of some people's lives would have been taking any available flare, flashlight, or even cell phone light if it's all you've got and running back up the road (on the safest outside edge of the ditch) waving your light and yelling, trying to give people a few more yards of warning to apply the brakes before joining the pileup, maybe at least make a softer landing. If even a couple people join you waving their cell phone lights you'd probably get enough attention to get the cars to reduce speed enough to be able to stop once the pileup appears only feet in front of them. It's not novel, you know how and why it just happened to you, do something to prevent others from getting into the situation.
I know it's easy to say as an armchair analyst way after the fact, like "I'm so smart and I've got all the answers", I don't, but I do think that's an awful lot of people for apparently none of them present to think "what can I do before more people come in here and wreck like I just did?" They didn't need radios to try to reduce the toll. If it were me, I'd rather have flares on-hand first, fire extinguisher & first aid as close seconds, and radio third. Ideally the priority would be reducing the number of cars continuing to get involved in the wreck (getting traffic to safely stop), and then rendering aid, and THEN if I have time and I know enough cell phones are already in contact with 911 maybe I'd think to radio you in the back to give you the convenience of taking an alternate route. Not being rude, just honest.
When it comes to after the fact people can probably get basic info from their cell phones no problem and basic AM/FM radio as backup. It's not like its a hurricane where cell service has been knocked out. Cell phones hold a pretty good edge in getting ahold of help and pointing EMS to where they are needed. If cell service is out then sure, radio is great. If other people are already on the phone with 911 then yes, I'd throw out some radio communication if I really had nothing else to do and no one else needed aid. It's at the very bottom of my priorities though.
We can assume that ballpark 75% of those 39 commercial vehicles had CB radios on-board, they didn't seem to be able to warn each other as rig after rig just kept barreling in there. They apparently were not sharing road condition information before the first metal made contact, which is what would have really been required for CB to make any difference in the death and expense toll. Communications would have needed to be somewhat already going before the first vehicle hit the second. Once it started you'd think at least one stopped rig would be intact enough to call out to any others listening, or maybe one that made it past the first couple cars unscathed traveling in the opposite lanes. Either they didn't think to do that or nobody was listening, or both.
I think that was the real shortcoming that made it so bad/involved so many vehicles, you can see in the video, there is no mentality of anybody trying to mitigate the ongoing event. You need that mentality from someone involved before any piece of equipment like a radio even matters.
Rather than standing there taking pictures and recording clips for a few seconds of fame, a better use of what ended up being the last few seconds of some people's lives would have been taking any available flare, flashlight, or even cell phone light if it's all you've got and running back up the road (on the safest outside edge of the ditch) waving your light and yelling, trying to give people a few more yards of warning to apply the brakes before joining the pileup, maybe at least make a softer landing. If even a couple people join you waving their cell phone lights you'd probably get enough attention to get the cars to reduce speed enough to be able to stop once the pileup appears only feet in front of them. It's not novel, you know how and why it just happened to you, do something to prevent others from getting into the situation.
I know it's easy to say as an armchair analyst way after the fact, like "I'm so smart and I've got all the answers", I don't, but I do think that's an awful lot of people for apparently none of them present to think "what can I do before more people come in here and wreck like I just did?" They didn't need radios to try to reduce the toll. If it were me, I'd rather have flares on-hand first, fire extinguisher & first aid as close seconds, and radio third. Ideally the priority would be reducing the number of cars continuing to get involved in the wreck (getting traffic to safely stop), and then rendering aid, and THEN if I have time and I know enough cell phones are already in contact with 911 maybe I'd think to radio you in the back to give you the convenience of taking an alternate route. Not being rude, just honest.
When it comes to after the fact people can probably get basic info from their cell phones no problem and basic AM/FM radio as backup. It's not like its a hurricane where cell service has been knocked out. Cell phones hold a pretty good edge in getting ahold of help and pointing EMS to where they are needed. If cell service is out then sure, radio is great. If other people are already on the phone with 911 then yes, I'd throw out some radio communication if I really had nothing else to do and no one else needed aid. It's at the very bottom of my priorities though.
